Iron Seas 03 - Riveted

women of Hannasvik aren’t eating hares now?”
    “Sheep, now and again. Mostly fish.”
    “So you’re on the coast.”
    Her jaw clenched. After a moment, she said, “Lake fish.”
    He kissed the side of her neck. “Trust me.”
    “I do. But I shouldn’t be stupid—so careless. That was why Källa left in the first place.”
    Then he was glad that Annika had been careless. He wouldn’t voice that, though.
    She slowed the troll, looking ahead to another cliff, its face jutting into the sea. “We have to go up around those, then Vik should be in the hills beyond it. Do we drive in?”
    Her instinct was to hide the machine, he knew. But as another cur darted in front of the troll’s feet, he shook his head. “We don’t have much choice.”
    She nodded. Only a few minutes more, then. He fell silent, sayingas much as he could with kisses to her shoulders, her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair. He would let her go. He would let her go. It wasn’t forever. Just for now.
    God, he was terrified that it would be forever.
    Annika stopped on a snowy rise overlooking the small town. Her breath hitched. She reached back, brought his hand to her mouth. His throat closed when she pressed a warm kiss to the center of his palm, when she vowed, “I will write. And visit, as soon as I’m free.”
    And he would try to make that day come more quickly. “I’ll help you search.”
    “Yes.”
    For a brief moment, her lips trembled against his fingers. Then her shoulders straightened, and she reached for the foreleg pulley again.
    Composed of a handful of houses and shops nestled on the rolling lowlands, Vik was a stone’s throw from the ocean, overshadowed by the rise of the cliffs to the west and the highlands to the north. The town didn’t possess a harbor, but David expected to see more flat-bottomed boats drawn up to the edge of the beach. Only a few were tied upside-down, their keels buried in snow.
    The town lay quiet. Not the deathly stillness of Heimaey, but it still struck David as strange. Though it was early, warm lamplight only glowed in a few windows.
    “No sheep. No ponies,” Annika said. “Though they have fences to keep the dogs out.”
    But not a troll. Slowly, they passed an outlying farmhouse, and followed sled tracks onto the main street through the town. A long rectangle of light suddenly spilled from an open door. Annika stopped the troll. They both recognized the woman coming out into the street, a pistol in hand, and the man behind her. Vashon and Dooley.
    Relief rushed through him. So at least some of the passengersand crew from Phatéon had arrived safely. Now, where was his aunt? The captain appeared to be shouting. He couldn’t hear a word over the huff of the engine.
    Annika pushed up out of the driver’s seat. He helped her down the ladder, opened the chest hatch, and dropped down. Snow crunched under his feet. Vashon stared at him over the barrel of her gun, astonishment widening her eyes. Dooley let out a shout and came forward, clapping David on his back, laughing. More people emerged from the house—some crew he recognized, others he didn’t know. Finally, there was Lucia, rushing to him with tears standing in her eyes.
    She caught him in a fierce hug. Annika disappeared into the troll again, Vashon behind her. His chest tightened. Already out of his sight. He’d known it would happen. He’d hoped it wouldn’t happen so quickly.
    Lucia stepped back, wiping her face. Beside her, Dooley was shaking his head.
    “We were thinking that we’d lost you. A few of the aviators didn’t make it to shore.”
    His gaze swept the gathered men. “Where is Goltzius?”
    “His glider brought him in, then he got himself chewed up by dogs.” Heavy concern lined the older man’s face. “He saved that Lusitanian girl’s nurse when they chased after her, then went down under a tangle of them. It took four of us to beat them off.”
    And Dooley’s own hand was bandaged, David saw. “Was it bad?”
    “He’ll be all right, especially as Miss Neves hasn’t left his side. I’ll tell you, she’s a formidable woman. Goltzius will heal or perish by her wrath.” He looked up at the troll. “Where’d you get this?”
    “We stole it from di Fiore’s camp.”
    Neither Dooley nor Lucia appeared surprised when he said the name. Behind him, Vashon emerged from the troll. Annika came next, her mouth set, her eyes wide and shining. She looked to David.
    “Some more has happened,”